NIGHT SIGHTSAND LASERS

Nights Sights

I have tritium night sights on several handguns that I own. Several of them have the
traditional three-dot night sights, one dot with a tritium insert on each side of the notch
in the rear sight and a similar dot centered in the front sight.

The small-frame revolvers that I actually carry on a daily basis have tritium in the front
sight, in the form of a "big dot" sight from XS Sight
Systems. In this case, since they are fixed-sight revolvers, with only a groove in the
top strap for a rear sight, installing tritium capsules for the rear sights would have been
a major operation. The big-dot front sight was not only a fairly simple way to get tritium
up front, it also makes the front sight much easier to acquire than the small, traditional
front sight, even under good light.

I have colleagues who prefer the big-dot front sight, combined with an "express" rear sight, on any
fighting handgun. This preference usually stems from concerns that it may be difficult to visualize
the front sight if you are concentrating on the threat and that the big-dot sight may be the only kind
you that may see under those circumstances.

I also have colleagues who are concerned that with three similar glowing dots of the same color - most
commonly green- you could get the front sight cocked to the side of the rear sight sufficiently and perceive
a sight alignment when your sights are really not aligned at all. I am not convinced by this argument because
the spacing of the dots is much wider in that configuration and, if you have any degree of experience shooting
the gun in question, you should be able to feel if your wrist is cocked that far to either side. Nonetheless,
if this is a concern to you, you may still be able to find options such as brighter dots on the front, bars in
place of dots on the rear sight or different colors front and rear.

The .223 carbine that serves as my "house gun" has night sights front and rear. A few more rifles and one shotgun have
tritium inserts only in the front sight blade. The carbine and the shotgun in question are also mounted with SureFire lights. Tritium
sight inserts help you see your sights; they do nothing to enhance the visibility and identification of your target.

Some instructors argue that night sights can cost you a precious fraction of a second while
seeking a sight picture. I believe that this is your basic point-shooting argument. If you
have decided, consciously or subconsciously, that the threat is too immediate to take time
for a sight picture, the presence of tritium inserts is not going to change that decision.

In hindsight, the decision to spend the money on night sights on the guns I am most likely to
use for self-defense reflects earlier training, in which accuracy was enhanced when firing at
known, inanimate targets. While I don't see any need to remove the night sights, I have become
increasingly aware of two points:

If most defensive engagements (with handguns) will likely involve point shooting, the potential
liability of night sights disclosing your location to an assailant may exceed their value to the
user.

If you cannot see either your conventional sights or enough of the silhouette of the gun to confirm your
index at longer ranges, you may lack enough light to be certain of your target and whether it still
poses a threat.

The decision to spend the additional money on night sights is a personal one, best based on an
assessment of most likely threat scenarios.

Laser Sights

I keep a spare fixed-sight, five-shot revolver, like the two mentioned above, fitted with
LaserGrips. In this configuration, it serves a teaching gun,
not a carry gun. The laser allows me to demonstrate the alignment of the muzzle in the continuum of point-shooting
techniques that I teach for close quarters. It allows me to demonstrate that efficient shooting positions tend to align
the muzzle where you look, even before you confirm the alignment of the sights. It allows me to demonstrate that sight
wobble does not significantly affect the shooter's ability to place shots in the center of the selected target. It
allows me to demonstrate the effect of rushing the trigger stroke. It allows me to demonstrate how proper technique
reduces the area covered by the muzzle when shooting while moving.

The dot from a laser may not be visible on your selected target in bright light or in a smoky, dusty or foggy
environment. In addition, the reflection off the particles in a smoky, dusty or foggy environment may trace a line
straight back to the gun, showing your assailant your location.

One of my concerns about mounting a laser on a carry gun has been that, under stress, in the dark, you may
unintentionally squeeze your laser switch prematurely or fail to relax your grip on it while moving, also revealing
your location. Since LaserGrips usually mount the laser on the upper corner of the right grip panel, they do give you
the option of blocking the beam with your fingertip until you either point the finger away from the frame or insert it
into the trigger guard. This option, however, is only viable when the gun is grasped in the right hand.

Training with the sights conditions you to bring the gun to the same sighting plane every time that you shoot. Even when
you can't see the sights, if the gun is in your sighting plane and you can see your target, you should be able to hit it.

I have shared with many other instructors the concern that using laser sights discourage the shooter from concentrating
on developing those conditioned reflexes, incorrectly referred to as "muscle memory," which allow you to hit your
selected target in sub-optimal conditions.

If you expect to use your handgun primarily in some mode of point shooting, where your eyes will be focused on the
target, the laser can give you confirmation of your pointing both in training and in a fight. I have observed, however,
that looking for the red dot kept at least one student from concentrating on the body-index components of the
protected-gun technique I teach, adjusting his arm and wrist position instead for each repetition.

Most point-shooting systems are based on the assumption that you will be standing or sitting in positions that will be a
component of your index on your target. Unconventional positions, common in real fights, may preclude that, making the
laser useful.

Having been skeptical of laser sights on carry guns for many years, I have partially re-evaluated my position,
particularly after some discussion with my friend Clyde Caceres, who used to handle law-enforcement training for the
manufacturer of LaserGrips.

Laser sights are useful to minimize your exposure from limited cover. An example peculiar to law enforcement would be
when using a ballistic shield equipped with a Lexan window. A laser-sighted handgun would allow an officer to fire
around the shield without exposing more than the gun hand. Somewhat similar scenarios can obviously present themselves
to the private citizen, albeit without the Lexan window.

Laser sights are useful when the shooter is in an unconventional position, particularly if time or reduced light does
not allow for acquisition of the sights or a conventional system of point shooting. An example might be if the shooter
suddenly becomes aware of a threat from behind while trying to run from the scene.

Laser sights are useful if you are carrying the gun somewhere other than a belt holster and may not be able to get a
consistent firing grip under stress. For example, if you draw from a pocket holster and engage at close enough range
that you don't acquire a sight picture, a less-than-perfect grip could magnify the relative inaccuracy of point shooting.

At one time I considered equipping my sometime pocket gun with the LaserGrips mentioned above, as it would be the gun I
would most likely share with an otherwise unarmed companion. However, I don't find that the original "boot grip" J-frame
LaserGrip is as good an ergonomic fit for me as the hand-carved Spegel Boot Grips on the two revolvers in my holsters
and the larger size of the alternative offerings would preclude pocket carry.

If you choose to equip your gun with a laser, don't substitute the laser for training with the conventional sights or a
method of point shooting that will still work if the laser fails. Anything that depends on a battery is capable of
failing. Further, don't do all of your training with the laser on. One of the few students I have had with a gun-mounted
laser was intentionally looking for the red dot, at arm's length, when training with the protected-gun position, at the
expense of learning to execute the technique smoothly, on the basis of body position. My sentiments seem to be shared by
Evan Marshall, who comments:

"It CAN be an advantage, it should not be a crutch. I tell folks from time to time they should turn the battery
off and practice for the day when the battery goes dead - remember batteries are designed to go dead so more batteries
can be purchased AND the battery company can get rich."

My biggest concern with laser sights is that, when they fail, valuable seconds may be lost looking for the red
(or green) dot that is not showing where it's expected to be on a life-threatening target.

I once had a right-handed, left-eye-dominant student with a history of multiple back surgeries who was having a great
deal of physical difficulty using the sights on her revolver.

At the conclusion of the day's shooting exercises I thought, "This may be one of the exceptional cases where a laser
sight on a carry gun might make sense."

I decided to let her try shooting my laser-sighted demonstration gun. The laser dot would not come on for her. Puzzled,
I tried it. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it wouldn't.

My initial suspicion was that it was time to replace the batteries. In retrospect, I now believe it was the result of
extremely low humidity in Arizona's high desert, resulting static electricity and dust, which, in combination, led the
latter to adhere to the contact points in the switch.

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purports to be no more than the personal opinion of
Stephen P. Wenger.

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